LAYYAH, Jan 23: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi's visit to the city on Jan 7 has changed local as well as national political landscape.

Right after landing in the city, Pervaiz Elahi went to the house of Pakistan People's Party-Patriots MNA Niaz Ahmad Jhakhar and after 45 minutes, he came out of the Jhakhar House triumphantly with Jhakhar's announcement that he was joining the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML).

Political analysts say Jhakhar's ditching the PPP-Patriots is the beginning of an end to the group. Two weeks later, three more PPP-Patriots lawmakers -- Dr Nisar Ahmad Jutt, Raees Munir and Makhdoom Ashfaq -- also followed Jhakhar and announced joining the ruling party.

A political worker says "some other jobless (without any ministerial portfolio) PPP-Patriots lawmakers will also join the PML. Jhakhar has been leading these 'jobless' lawmakers for the last four years.

Jhakhar's move has also given a new dimension to the local politics. He was enjoying the support of both the government and the Benazir-led PPP leadership.

Being part of the ruling coalition, Jhakhar enjoyed the government's support, while PPP's local stalwarts and office bearers also pampered him at the local level expecting that Jhakhar may return to the PPP before the next elections.

Professor Nawaz Siddiqui, a political analyst, says Jhakhar has consolidated his electoral position by joining the PML as he will get support of both Thind and MPA Mehar Fazal Hussain Soomra. But the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) can also turn the table on if it fields a consensus candidate against Jhakhar.

The ongoing conflict between the district nazim and ruling MPA Fazl Hussain Soomra will cost heavily to Jhakhar. Thind wants to oust Soomra by fielding his nephew as PML candidate from the constituency of Soomra.

Things are also going against PML's MNA Bahadur Ahmad Khan Sehar as a strong alliance is in the offing against him.

Sahibzada Faizul Hassain, former PML-N candidate from the NA-181, has forged an alliance with PPP's provincial assembly candidate Safadar Abbas Bhatti and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal's Punjab parliamentary leader Chaudhry Asghar Ali Gujar. This is a strong combination and will give sleepless nights to the PML candidate.

There are reports that PML-N leaders Sahibzada and Saqlain Shah Bukhari, who contested from NA-182 in the 2002 elections, may join the PPP. If it happens, Bukhari may give a strong support to PPP's likely candidate Ghulam Farid Khan against Jhakhar. Farid had defeated Jhakhar in the 1985 elections.

At present all stakeholders are knitting their political alliances within and outside their political parties and the next two to months are crucial.